Haruomi Hosono – Omni Sight Seeing [Epic/Light In The Attic]

This week on Morning Mari* our album of the week is Omni Sight Seeing by Haruomi Hosono, originally released via Epic Records in 1989. It has now been reissued via Light In The Attic.

The prolific Haruomi Hosono is one of the major architects of modern Japanese pop music. Tokyo born and raised Hosono has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and a boundless curiosity for new sounds, Hosono is the auteur of his own idiosyncratic musical world, putting his unmistakable stamp on hundreds of recordings as an artist, session player, songwriter and producer. He was a pivital member of techno pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), who made their debut in 1978.

Omni Sight Seeing, originally released in 1989 during YMO’s initial hiatus, is an exhilarating musical journey around the world as filtered through Hosono’s kaleidoscopic lens. This work stands as a manifestation of his concept of “Sight Seeing Music,” putting his own tasteful spin on the “world” music encountered during his explorations of global cultures.

From Japanese minyo and Algerian rai, to American swing jazz and the self-described, extraterrestrial “Ether music,” his eclectic influences coalesce into a sound that is unmistakably Hosono’s, and many consider this album to be the perfect summation of his mastery of pop music forms. Partly recorded in Paris with assistance from producer Martin Meissonnier (Don Cherry, Fela Kuti) and contributions from French-Tunisian singer Amina, omni Sight Seeing includes the mysterious “Orgone Box” (inspired by Wilhelm Reich and Steve Reich), the acid house “Laugh-Gas” (inspired by Rococo and the French Revolution) and the serene fan favorite “Pleocene” (conveying an “oceanic feeling”).

Tracklist:
01 Esashi
02 Andadura
03 Orgone Box
04 Ohenro-San
05 Caravan
06 Retort
07 Laugh-Gas
08 Korendor
09 Pleocene